Red Sox fall to Yankees, spoil Fenway centennial celebration

Friday, April 20, 2012 -- Anonymous (not verified)

If it wasn’t already, it now is plainly obvious. Fenway Park is the Red Sox’ biggest star.

On the occasion of its centennial anniversary, the old ballyard was feted today in a pregame ceremony that hit all the appropriate notes. More than 200 former Red Sox players, managers and coaches returned. Caroline Kennedy chucked a ceremonial first pitch, just like her great-grandfather 100 years earlier. And Pedro Martinez and Kevin Millar, heroes of the 2004 World Series team, led a sellout crowd in toasting grape juice.

For nearly an hour, everyone forgot about the Red Sox’ sour-tasting 2012 vintage.

It didn’t take long, though, for a reality check. Four pitches into the game, Dustin Pedroia lost a pop fly in the sun, and less than four hours later, the Red Sox lost to the Yankees, 6-2, with starter Clay Buchholz matching an unwelcome career-high by allowing five homers.

The Red Sox lost their fourth consecutive game, slipped to 4-9 overall, and failed to match any of the adoration lavished upon their 100-year-old home.

In fact, Fenway may have been the star of the game, too. In the fifth inning, with the Red Sox trailing 5-1, Mike Aviles hit a line drive into the notorious late-afternoon sun in right field. The Yankees’ Nick Swisher couldn’t see the ball, and it got past him, allowing Cody Ross to score from second base.

It was the Red Sox’ only hit in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Both the Red Sox and Yankees were outfitted in throwback 1912 uniforms. Back then, the Yankees were known as the New York Highlanders, and they finished 55 games behind the Red Sox, who christened their ballpark with a walk-off victory April 20, 1912 and a World Series championship five months later.

First-year Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was struck by the love affair between New England and its ballpark on Thursday when more than 50,000 fans turned out for an open house to celebrate the centennial. Several former and current players were on hand to sign autographs and take pictures, but their appearances weren’t scheduled or publicized.

The attraction, undeniably, was Fenway.

“I thought (Thursday) was just an incredible experience,” Valentine said. “It wasn’t billed as ‘Come get Dustin’s (Pedroia) autograph.’ It was billed as ‘Come to the park. It’s open for you to feel.’ People were buying souvenirs of the ballpark. That’s just different, not getting the autograph or the photograph of the player. I stayed around a while. I was amazed.”

In the eighth inning today, however, Valentine was booed when he came to the mound to make a pitching change.

The Yankees jumped ahead in the first inning. Jeter reached on Pedroia’s error, then scored two batters later on Alex Rodriguez’ single to left field.

It only got worse for Buchholz. Swisher and Eric Chavez hit solo home runs in the second inning, and Chavez went deep again in the fourth before Alex Rodriguez and Russell Martin reached the Monster Seats in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.